A Frosty Change
by Doc4
Summary: In an attempt to straiten Buffy out, her parent ssend her to a very specialschool. No, it's not the one you think.
1. Chapter 1

I get bored far to easily. that's all i'm going to say on this.

Buffy/X-Men crossover. Sometime during the X-Movies, but nothing really solid. IF the X-Men actually appear, I'll solidify a timeline. After the movie for Buffy.

And for those interested, I have a paragraph for Distant Destinies. finally. sweatdrops

I own nothing. NOTHING!!

A Frosty Change

Buffy looked up at the Frost Academy in awe. "This is a school?" She said in shock. "Who goes here, Dracula?"

'_Nothing so droll, my girl. Why don't you head up to the house? I'll meet you at the door,' _Buffy stood there a moment with her eyes bulging. Even as she stood there, a gift she had kept hidden, even from her watcher Merrick, kicked into gear as her extraordinarily sharp mind began processing the first of what she guessed would be a series of shocks.

She wasn't half wrong as a shape rocketed past. A voice was heard saying, "Let me take your bags" before the streak vanished into a window of the massive building.

"O-kay…" Buffy said before heading in, her mind working furiously. Something told her this was going to be much more interesting than she had thought.

* * *

Emma Frost, headmistress of the Frost Academy for the Gifted and Troubled listened to the girls thoughts as she approached the building. She had never heard thoughts moving at such speeds, or so logically, in all her years. Well, not entirely true. There was one, but she was rather…unattainable. This one was young. Malleable. And lost, fragile, in need of support and guidance. Guidance she would give, moulding the girl into a mentat fitting Emma's social status.

With a grin as Guthrie snatched the girl's bag, Emma Frost walked towards the door to her office. Yes. Miss Summers would do nicely.

* * *

_Two months later_

Buffy was almost amazed at the speed she had learned the duties Miss Frost expected her to complete in return for a full scholarship: everything from general secretary skills to things that were…less than basic. But, for the sharp intellect Buffy was finally able to exercise without concern of consequences, utterly enjoyable.

'_Elizabeth, may I have a word?'_

'_At once, Miss Frost,'_ anyone else would have gotten Buffy's usual sharp tongue for calling her Elizabeth. Emma Frost had given her someone to talk to, someone who believed her stories, that she was the Slayer. It earned her Buffy's respect, which was harder to come by than it used to be. Something her father had lost.

Buffy gathered the papers Miss Frost had asked her to complete, reports on her business rivals and possible allies, as well as a school in New York that seemed much like the Frost Academy, and headed towards Emma's office, nodding to several students she past. Many thought her the next Miss Frost, some even thought she was Emma's daughter. Dressed in her tight white slacks and white halter, with long knee high white boots, with a cool demeanour that near perfectly mirrored Emma's own, one could see where they might think that. In truth, Buffy found that it was easier keeping people away, so the aloof act helped greatly.

Of course, that didn't make one iota difference where Samuel Guthrie was concerned. The Kentucky born and bred mutant wasn't fooled by her act for an instant. In fact, he found the whole thing quite amusing. Buffy smiled thinking about the blonde mutant, whos blast shield had become such a large part of her own 'plan B'. While she did think of Sam as a friend, despite her best efforts, she had no intention of letting anyone who might force her back into the role of the Vampire Slayer and, should it be necessary, she had devised an escape strategy based on that, once Miss Frost's teachings had encouraged her mind to become fully 'active'. To that extent, she had factored Sam into an escape that would lead them deep into the Canadian Rockies. From there, she would tell Sam to head for home. She had been cultivating his loyalty to that end, and was fully confident he would do what she asked.

It sickened her that she would stoop to using someone who had welcomed her into his life so warmly, but she would not go back to that 'life' of death and darkness. She would rather die herself.

As Buffy entered Emma's office, she took notice of two rather stiff looking gentlemen that reminded her of Merrick. She instantly began preparing her escape.

"Here are your reports, Miss Frost," Buffy said, cooly, placing the pile on Emma's desk.

"Thankyou, Elizabeth," Emma said. "Take a seat please," Buffy did so, taking another look at Emma's guests. One was younger, not much older than herself, with brown hair, a crips suit and intelligent eyes. Those eyes, unfortunately, only saw what they were told to see, Buffy surmised, noticing the way the young man's gaze flickered to the older man, also wearing a formal suit and a serious expression. "This is Mr Quentin Travers and Mr Wesley Wyndam-Pryce," Wyndam-Pryce. Two of the families that seemed set against the Hellfire Club Miss Frost had joined recently. Travers was also an old family name, whose members had been both members and enemies of the Club. Most intriguing. "They asked to meet with you regarding your…past exploits," so, they were Watchers, like Merrick. Did this mean there was a group? Not enough information. Still..., Buffy would have to dig a bit deeper into the Hellfire Club. If the Watcher's were a group against demons…

"Miss Summers, your continued services as the Slayer are needed," Travers said. No formalities, no 'we request your assistance'. Buffy found it refreshing compared to the backstabbing she was used to.

"I see," Buffy said slowly, without emotion. "You are aware, of course, that the only reason I'm not currently spending the remainder of my teen years a guest at one of LA's juvenile detention centres was Miss Frost's intervention?"

"A most regrettable situation," Wesley spoke up. Buffy noted the intelligence in his eyes again, this time seeing thoughts running through them. He was far smarter than Travers, that much was obvious. "Had we been aware of the situation…"

"Yes, had we been aware," Travers cut him off. Wesley looked chastened. Buffy made one decision.

Travers was an ass.

"However, we were not," Travers continued. "Because our agent was killed whilst under your guardianship."

"Odd," Buffy said, cocking an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that it was Merrick's job to guide, guard and prepare me. Was this incorrect?"

"Not entirely…" Wesley began again. Once again, Travers cut him off.

"That is not the point," he said. "The point is that you will be coming with us…"

"Mr Travers," Buffy said. Her voice was devoid of all emotion, her eyes filled with a calculating look that made Travers pause. "I do believe Mr Wyndham-Pryce was attempting to explain something to me. If you would allow him the time."

"You arrogant…"

"Mr Travers," Buffy said again. "I think I've had about enough of your interruptions. Now, Mr Wyndham-Pryce. If you wish to discuss what happened in Los Angeles and my continued service as the Slayer, next time come alone. I find Mr Travers' company to be somewhat…overbearing. Now, if you gentlemen would excuse me, I have school work to do and several private projects to attend to. Miss Frost," without another word, Buffy rose to her feet and walked out.

The moment she left, a very shocked and annoyed Quentin Travers shot to his feet.

"Miss Frost, what is the meaning of this?"

"Did you honestly expect her to roll over and let you order her around?" Emma said, raising an eyebrow. "Mr Travers, you know as well as I that she is a very strong willed young lady. Personally I rather like it."

"She is the Slayer, it is her duty to follow orders," Travers exploded. "It is the way it has always been done."

"Then I would suggest you try something new," Emma said. "Because I doubt you're going to get very far with this one. And if you make a move against any of my students, I shall be very, very cross."

"Miss Frost!"

"Now, I am very busy. If you gentlemen would please excuse me."


	2. Hellions and realizations

More of this. I own nothing. XD

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Buffy moved quickly outside and to the smaller, yet equally opulent building at the back of the Academy. She removed a glove, laying her palm on the seemingly marble door frame, which gave a soft green glow as it scanned her palm print and unlocked the door. She moved inside, replacing her glove as the door closed behind her.

"That's about as nervous as I've ever seen you, Mainframe."

"I've asked you not to call me that, Tabitha," Buffy said, looking at the young woman in leather pants and a purple tank top, with blonde hair.

"And I asked you not to callme 'Tabitha', Mainframe, so we're even," Tabitha said. Buffy glared at her moment before flopping behind her computer. "Bad day, brainiac?"

"If you must know, Boom Boom, yes," Buffy said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get these training simulations ready."

"Sounds like someone could use a break," Sam said, walking in from the kitchen. Buffy looked up at him.

"I appreciate the thought, Sam, but I need to get this done. Miss Frost wants the Hellions combat ready in case a situation arises."

"Combat ready," Tabitha snorted. "We're teenagers. The only 'combat' we should be seeing is at the local mall."

"If life were that simple, Tabitha, I wouldn't have had my bad day," buffy snapped. "Now, a little quiet, please."

"That's what Miss Frost called you for?" Sam said. Buffy nodded.

"Apparently there's a group of 'Watcher's' who are supposed to guide the Slayer," she said, starting the simulation programming while simultaneously beginning searches on the Watcher's and the Hellfire Club. "Two of their number came to return me to my role as the Slayer."

"What, that whole gig where you fight vampires alone?" Boom Boom asked. Buffy nodded. "That fu…"

"Boomer, don' ye be startin' yer cussing," a quiet voice said from the corner behind Buffy.

"Well, it is. And who made you my mother, furball?"

"Ah leave Rahne alone, Tab," a voice said from another room. "She's as worried as you are."

"Well we all are. Where're Jimmy and Danni?" Tab asked.

"Probably making out," the owner of the voice, a Native American with a bionic arm walked out of his workshop.

"Jealous Forge?" Tabitha asked.

"Yes, because I find Warpath so attractive," Forge said sarcastically. "I presume you have a plan to deal with these…Watchers?"

"Several. None of which are feasible right now," Buffy answered.

"So, what're we goin' tae do?" Rahne asked.

"We wait," Buffy said softly. "And if they move…well, we'll just have to earn the name 'Hellions' and raise a little hell."

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_Watchers hotel room_

"That disobedient little…"

"Perhaps we should calm down a little, sir," Wesley suggested as Quentin Travers raged.

"What we need to do Wesley is remind our Slayer of her place in the world," Quentin said.

"she did bring up some good points though," Wesley said. Travers turned on him angrily. "W-what I mean to say, sir, is that…well, if we had sent a Watcher to her right after Merrick died, we wouldn't be in this predicament. Given that, there's no real surprise that she feels this sort of…animosity towards anyone who would attempt to force her into being the Slayer again."

"Perhaps," Traver conceded. "But that makes no difference. She is the Slayer. The Slayer's exist to serve the Council. That should be the only thing she needs to know."

"So…what are we going to do?" Travers thought a moment.

"We have no choice," he said. "We must declare Slayer Summers renegade. I will call the Council and report her, requesting immediate removal," Wesley watched as Travers left. _Removal_. He was going to have her killed.

Wesley had been placed under Quentin Travers tutelage at the age of 10. He had obeyed Mr Travers without question ever since, but this situation just made him sick. The situation was the fault of the Council. In their opinions, any Slayer who failed to protect her Watcher was not worthy of the position. They had been preparing to send Miss Summers replacement, once the current Slayer had died, to deal with Lothos. Buffy had pulled off what they had deemed as impossible, however.

She had defeated Lothos, and his vampires. Collateral aside, the Council was at a loss. They had scrambled to recover the situation, though it was obvious that move had been made far too late. The Slayer was out of their reach.

No, Wesley corrected himself. Not entirely. She was obviously far more intelligent than they had thought. Perhaps, if he discussed the situation, he could save her life.


	3. Two new Friends

Alright, here's some more. This chapter, and a couple of the ones following will be written by my regular partner in crime, beta reader and encourager, Joshua teh Evil Guy. looks over at bat wielding Joshua I'm workin' I'm workin'!

Just kiddin', mate. I appreciate it.

Anyway, enjoy. I still don't own anything.

Chapter 3:

Alexander Lavelle Harris looked up at the medieval castle like structure as he stepped out of the cab. Taking his duffel bag with him and hoisting it over his left shoulder, he turned around to face his companion who was also just stepping out. Known to his friends only as Xander, he offered his hand and helped her out of the cab.

"Are you sure we're at the right place Wills?" he asked the young red-haired girl.

Willow Danielle Rosenberg stood right next to her life-long friend and whistled in awe. "We're at the right place Xander. I mean, it is the right address, and it's not exactly like there are any other places nearby that could be a Prep School."

"Yeah, but who lives here? Dracula?"

"That'd be Miss Frost to you, m'boyo," their taxi driver said as he dropped their bags at the teenager's feet. He was about six foot tall with red hair, a friendly matter and an Irish brogue that made Xander think of rainbows and pots of gold.

"Thanks, Sean," Xander said. The Irish driver had refused to answer to anything but his given name. "How much do we owe ya?" he asked, going for the envelope of cash Willow's parents had given to him just before he and Willow had gotten on the plane.

The taxi driver waved the boy off and got back in his cab. "Dinnae you worry, the school covers ya ride. Word of advice for ye, though. Curb th' jokes around Frost, an' if you really can't help it, make'em about yourself. She don't be too tolerant a' fools."

"Thanks again!" Xander called out as the cab drove away.

Then he and Willow turned around and nearly jumped out of their skins when they saw a pair of blonds, one girl, one guy, standing right in front of them. The girl was, oddly, dressed all in white, and the guy, who obviously was _not_ the girls brother, was dressed kinda like a hick but obviously dressed up a little.

"You must be the new students," the girl spoke with a cool detachment, yet smiled warmly at the pair. "I'm Buffy Summers, Miss Frost's assistant and fellow student. This is Samuel Guthrie," she gestured at the boy who was even now picking up all of their luggage, "goes by Sam, and is also a student here at Frost Academy. If you'll follow me, I'll get you two settled in and introduce you to Miss Frost."

"Meeting the Principal on the first day, the first hour we're here, oh joy," Xander joked as they entered the school.

"We prefer the term Headmistress, Alexander," Buffy coolly informed the boy, making him think she now hated him.

"Uh, sorry, I didn't mean, I meant to say, I mean..." Xander stuttered, flushing bright red.

"Xander," Willow interrupted him, but not as a measure to silence him.

"Excuse me?" Buffy asked, turning to face Willow.

The shy redhead lowered her face, her long straight locks falling to cover half her face. Nevertheless, she continued to speak, "His name. It's Xander. Only... only Xander's parents call him Alexander."

This gave Buffy pause as she stopped and re-evaluated the two new students before her. For half a minute they stood there in the hallway, Buffy staring unblinkingly at the two until finally the mutant analyst answered, "I apologize... Xander. Thank you for that Willow. It is Willow, yes?"

"Yep, she's my Wills," Xander grinned goofily at the blond as he half-hugged Willow around the shoulders.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

The shout came from upstairs, but was loud enough to be heard in every wing of the building. A building which was suddenly shaken on is foundations as an explosion went off somewhere within its walls, and dislodging several hangings from the ground floor ceiling, one of which the trio just happened to be standing under. Only Buffy's Slayer powers allowed her to dodge the debris, her analytical mutant powers kicking in to tell her exactly where to dodge and where not to.

But Xander just quickly pulled Willow back and half-tripping over his own feet, luckily manoeuvred them out of the danger zone without even getting dusty. Buffy, once the building had settled once more, glared at the young mutants and set her powers to full throttle as she observed Xander Harris's mutant "Luck" powers in action. Apparently he wasn't even consciously aware that he was a mutant, and was reported to have been extremely surprised when he was offered a scholarship right alongside his brilliant friend Willow Rosenberg.

In fact, there'd been rumours that Xander's parents had attempted to "sell" the scholarship for booze money. Buffy made an additional mental note to never call Xander "Alexander" ever again, and at the same time opened her connection to Miss Frost to convey the same information to the Headmistress.

"What the heck was that?!" Xander screamed while Willow trembled in his arms. Buffy observed that the girl's actions weren't all done out of fear.

"Boom Boom," Buffy answered, sounding bored. "Don't worry, you get used to it. Well, if you aren't the target that is. Miss Frost is waiting, and I'm sure she can better explain your roles here than I can. Shall we?"

A few minutes later, Buffy, Willow, and Xander were seated before Emma Frost's desk in her office, Buffy more to the side as the new students faced Emma directly. Emma was in her usual pure white business power-suit, and while looking over their files, was also psionically reprimanding Tabitha and Sam, and getting Buffy's input on the new students, Xander and Willow, while at the same time very lightly scanning their minds. Not probing, just scanning to get a feel for who they were as people and as future students.

"So," she said finally as she got Boom Boom and Cannonball to start cleaning up the mess they'd made, "I'm very glad to see that you two have accepted our scholarship, and I welcome you to Frost Academy. Tell me, why do you think you were chosen for our scholarship?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and looked away to hide her growing smirk. She couldn't help it. Miss Frost telling mutants what they are when they didn't even know it themselves was always amusing. At least from an outside perspective.

"Uh, grades?" Willow finally offered, very intimidated by the cool and confident Emma Frost. She reminded the poor introverted girl a little of Cordelia Chase back home.

"Beats the heck outta me," Xander bluntly replied, "I just figured there was some kind of clerical error, but I wasn't about to pass up a chance on getting... uh, on getting out of our old hometown."

Emma squinted in disgust at Xander for a moment, though he couldn't identify it as such, and it certainly wasn't directed at him, but rather at his thought. More specifically, at the memories of what he was _actually_ glad to get away from. His parents. And such potential! It was absolutely criminal to waste talent such as his! And she wasn't just talking about his mutant powers either, though that potential was nearly unlimited as well.

"Neither. You were both chosen, and you were both chosen for a reason. Perhaps even the same reason. Would you care to guess what that reason might be?" Emma questioned them once more.

Willow's eyes suddenly went wide and her breath hitched slightly, while Xander maintained a goofy not-too-bright look on his face. Both Emma and Buffy could tell that said goofy expression was much the same as their own aloof attitude. Just a way to keep people from getting too close, while at the same time not actively pushing them away.

"Yes Willow?" Emma smiled a bit cruelly as she stared right at the redhead.

Willow audibly gulped, which caused Xander's expression to harden and brought him to the edge of his seat in the same instant. Buffy made sure to keep an eye on him. Just in case.

Willow looked back and forth between Buffy and Emma in ever-increasing rapidity. Then she whispered, barely audible, "You're mutants."

"And so are you," Emma kindly replied.

"Huh?" Xander suddenly blurted, slumping back into his seat, as though he hadn't been about ready to attack the two blond women at an instant's notice.


	4. Training and a Phone call

More bang for your buck. Enough to read yet Joshua? XD_  
_

_Two hours later_

"Frost Academy," with Buffy showing the newcomers around, Emma was left answering her own phones. Not that she minded of course, but she was coming to rely on the girls ability to read a person's intentions by talking to them.

"Ms Frost," the man on the other side spoke ina whisper, as if not wanting to be heard. "It's Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. I need to talk to you."

"Then talk, Mr Wyndahm-Pryce," Emma said. "I'm rather busy."

"The Council has reached a decision regarding Slayer Summers," Wesley whispered. "They have decided to remove her from her position," Emma paused.

"I was under the impression that the only way for that to happen was…They're going to KILL her?"

"That is their plan, yes," Emma wondered for a moment if she could reach across to England and tear their brains out of their nostrils, but decided against it. She wasn't that powerful.

But she did know someone who was.

"Thank you for your warning, Mr Wyndham-Pryce," Emma said. "I will handle it from here," she hung up without a word, before picking up the phone and dialling a number. "Hello, Ripper? I need your help."

Chapter 4:

_6 Weeks Later_

"Aw c'mon Wills! I'm gonna so totally flunk chemistry if you don't help me out here!" Xander begged his life-long friend as they walked to their next class together.

"Helping does not include helping you cheat Xander," Willow denied him, yet still couldn't help but smile at his antics.

"Who said anything about cheating?" he innocently raised his hands in defense, while taking two sudden steps to the left and luckily managed to avoid colliding with another student who was carrying so many books he literally couldn't see what was right in front of him nor where he was going.

"Xander..." Willow grumbled.

"Here," a hand suddenly appeared in front of Xander's face, holding a notebook, which he noted upon opening was full of chemistry notes. Along with a few other tidbits of information.

Xander and Willow turned, surprised and yet not so surprised, to see Buffy walking beside them, reading a book with one hand and typing into a PDA with the other. Buffy had a strange habit of appearing out of nowhere next to the pair. So much so that if the two didn't already know what Buffy's mutant powers were, they'd suspect she was actually teleporting.

"What's this?" Xander asked, "Not that I don't appreciate it. Especially if it has your phone number in it."

"A study outline for chemistry and the mathematics necessary to better understand chemistry," the blond mutant answered without looking up from her book. "I designed it to your particular needs and study requirements as well as provided page numbers and definitions for terms not found in the book."

Xander finished leafing through the notebook and awed, said, "Wow. Cool. And... thanks. I think. Uh, Buff? This thing is 90 pages thick."

"Yes," she acknowledged.

"And all the pages are filled," he continued, his voice giving way to slight panic, "front _and_ back!"

"Yeah, I had an extra five minutes this morning after breakfast," she absently remarked as they reached the classroom and she entered, still reading and typing away on her portable mini-computer.

Xander and Willow were left staring in awe in the hallway until Sam came up behind them, though announcing his presence first, and told them, "Told ya she was nice, didn't I? And you get used to it. Although it would be a good idea to avoid being in the same room as Mainframe and Forge when they're both in the mood to discuss physics."

"Yeah, or when it's Willow and her talking chemistry," Xander laughed along, giving Sam a high-five.

"Yeah... Hey!" Willow shouted at them, then stormed into the classroom after Buffy.

"Hey Sam," Xander briefly shook hands with the other mutant in greeting. "So, how goes the training?"

"You'll know soon enough Xander," Sam told him with a mischievous smile, dragging the brunette into the classroom. "Buffy just gave the word this morning after training. You and Willow are getting Danger Room access this afternoon after day classes."

"What?!" he blurted out loud, but thankfully it was lost in the typical ruckus of the classroom. "Sam! I don't know how many more times I can tell you people, I'm not a mutant! Cool as that might be, and it would certainly make me fit in better around this place, but I don't have any powers!"

"Sure ya don't," Sam just rolled his eyes and went to his own seat as the teacher walked in.

More to himself, Xander grumbled one last time as the class quieted down, "I don't. But I wish I did."

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Ripper looked around as he climbed into the car his wards had…acquired for them upon their arrival. He was quite proud of them, despite the shyness of one. She'd grow out of it, he'd only rescued her from her family a few months ago. The power she possessed, however, or the potential for it, was amazing.

"So, where to, Rip Man?" Ripper growled as he moved the girl in the driver seat to the passenger. The blond girl was already in the back, book open on her lap.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that, Faith?" Faith smiled up at him.

"As much as it takes, Rip Man. Yo, T, you ready?"

"Y-yes, Faith," Tara stuttered. Ripper gave a wild grin as they drove off.

"Hold on, m'girls. Time to raise a bit of hell."

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_Frost Academy Danger Room_

"Why are we wearing these?" Xander demanded to know.

"I think they're nice," Willow quickly assured everyone else, not wanting to sound ungrateful or embarrassed. Even if she was.

"Would you rather dodge explosions and bullets in your Sunday best?" Buffy asked them from her post in the control room. Everyone else, including Boom Boom, Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Warpath, and Mirage were down in the center of the simulation training room, dubbed by the students the "Danger Room", along with Willow and Xander. They were also all in their training uniforms. Black and red skintight suits of lightweight body armor, though it certainly didn't look like it. In fact the uniforms looked like spandex with vinyl and plastic pieces glued on in strange places. Looking at it, no one could tell that it could stop small arms fire and was impervious to being torn or punctured by anything less than a diamond. Or adamantium.

"Bullets?" Xander repeated.

"Explosions?" Willow squeaked.

"Right now I just need to calibrate the system to you and your powers," Buffy's voice came over hidden speakers as several machines began powering up and changing the environment around them. "First, Willow. Your powers are to change matter through an alchemic process into any other form of matter that you can imagine. Let's find out the limits and see what we can do to push them. Start by changing this," a platform raised holding several chunks of coal, "into diamond. A simply chemical process that takes a few hundred years usually. See if you can do it faster."

Willow actually looked relieved. "Oh good. I can do that." She then reached out with her powers and one by one the chunks of coal flaked away their black soot to reveal sparkling white diamonds.

"Good," Buffy said as the newly made diamonds disappeared to be replaced with blocks of silvery-gray metal, "Now something a bit more difficult, yet just as stereotypical. Turn the lead into gold. And then the gold back into lead."

Willow frowned and stared at the blocks of metal. She started to walk over to them but Buffy suddenly shouted, "Without moving from where you are. If you can do diamonds at a distance, gold shouldn't be any more of a problem."

"Yeah, but that was just stimulating the crystal growth. This is rearranging the atoms _themselves_!" Willow complained.

"Do it from where you are Willow," came the order.

The redhead mutant frowned, but stayed where she was and stared hard at the blocks of lead. After about a minute, sweat began to bead on her head and a minute and a half after that, her face was turning bright red. And yet a few moments later there was a soft flash of light and the silvery-gray blocks of lead were instantly replaced with dullish yellow-brown bricks of pure gold. Willow let out a gasp of air, a little out of breath, sweat still beading from her forehead, but she knew the exercise wasn't over yet. This time she just stared at the gold bricks for about ten seconds before the flash of light, though it was more like a sudden glow, appeared over them again and became lead blocks once more.

"It was easier to return them to the way they were, why?" Buffy asked.

"I was trying to figure out how to rearrange the atomic structure without turning it into uranium or just making it explode," Willow explained, "Once I'd figured it out, I had to get my powers to actually touch them. Enough to actually effect the change. In changing them back, I'd already figured out how to reach them with my powers and I remembered the process I used, so reversing it wasn't hard to figure out either."

"OK, good to know," Buffy smiled to herself, "Now we're going to work our way through the entire Periodic Table so you're familiar with changing every single element into every other element. At least once for each." Willow's horror clearly showed on her face and Buffy couldn't help taking a picture of it with the computer. "Don't worry, there are only 120 of them. It won't take you long once you get the hang of it. Also, for the record, it seems that your range seems to be about 10 feet or so. We'll have to work on expanding that."

"In the mean time," Buffy continued, programming another simulation into the computer, "Willow, step over to... this room over here," as she said this, a wall and door appeared to Willow's left, "and we'll get you started on getting familiar with the elements."

"And as for you Xander... Sam, Rahne, Danielle... and Boom Boom," Buffy let out a small sigh, "Get Xander prepped for the basic agility exercises."

"Agility exercises?" Xander repeated, gulping silently, "Why do I not like the sound of that?"

"Because it means," Tabitha grinned evilly as she formed a pair of baseball-sized 'bombs' in both of her hands, "we get to throw stuff at you while you do nothing but dodge."

"Oh goody, dodge ball. Again," he grumbled, remembering how the PE Teacher/Coach at his last school absolutely _loved_ making the students play the game a minimum of every week of the school year.

"Dinnae worry Xander," Rahne tried to comfort him, her Irish brogue putting a unique sound to his name, "we won't let Tab throw'em too big."

Xander looked over worriedly at the almost-literal firecracker that was Boom Boom, and then up at the control room, and prayed for some kind of luck that would keep him from having to go through with this hell. And wouldn't you know it, at that moment, against all the odds, a power surge knocked out the computers and briefly overloaded the Danger Room's systems.

Buffy, however, had personally designed this system with Emma's help and resources, and before she let Xander take one step inside this building, she had built system upon system upon system of backups in preparation for his powers acting against said system, on the off chance that he didn't want to train for whatever reason. It was actually quite a challenge for Buffy to design and set up redundancy systems in the event of improbable things happening at any moment and even making the probable ones even more probable. It took her nearly six weeks of constant work, even putting off a number of her personal projects, just to get the Danger Room ready for Xander.

So once the power surge was over, the system instantly rebooted and resumed right where it was with barely a seconds flicker on the screens as the only evidence of what had happened.

"Nice try Xander, now get started," she ordered and then turned her attention back to Willow and getting her better acquainted with her powers.

With no more warning than that, Tabitha, called Boom Boom for more than just her powers, threw both her bombs at Xander, who stared at the oncoming agents of destruction with mounting dread and panic. Unfortunately, still yet to be discovered, Xander's probability-altering powers weren't quite capable of changing the odds so much as to stop any and all attacks or harmful incidents an inch away from him or whatever. They required, at the least, his active participation in changing the probability of events towards his advantage, or towards his opponent's disadvantage. As such his abilities were incredibly subtle and if it weren't for Buffy and Emma's independently gained knowledge of exactly what his powers were, and that he was a mutant at all, nobody would suspect that he was anything more than a clumsy, inadequate, unimpressive, yet extremely lucky fool. Lucky for the Hellions, they did know about Xander and his powers, and better yet, how to stimulate and strengthen them.

"What the hell? Are you crazy?!!" Xander screamed as he dodged away from the energy bombs. They exploded harmlessly where he'd just been, but it didn't matter as he tripped over his own feet and fell to the floor. Conveniently avoiding Wolfsbane's lunge by less than a hairsbreadth.

Scrambling back to his feet, Xander just managed to see Cannonball literally dive-bombing him and tried to avoid it, but it was nearly impossible. Until one of Boom Boom's bombs went off in Cannonball's face, knocking him off course.

"Oops! Sorry Sam!" Tabitha apologized, yet still making more bombs to throw at Xander.

"Watch where you're throwing those things Boom Boom!" Danielle shouted.

"Do we really have to do this?" Xander begged.

"Just dodge them Xander," Buffy's voice ordered over the speakers, "I'm still programming in the rest of your solo simulation, and for once, when you trip, try to make it so you land on your feet. Stop doing things blind. Try to _dodge_, not just avoid. You've got to concentrate on your opponent."

"There are _four_ of them!!" Xander screamed back.

"Concentrate harder," came Buffy's smug reply.

"I'd love to see you do it," he grumbled.

"Oh, believe me, we try," Tabitha angrily replied to Xander's grumbling, "but it doesn't matter what we try, we can _never_ hit her. The only thing that ever tags her is the computer and that only when it's set to random!"

"You're kidding!" Xander exclaimed as he dove to the side to avoid Wolfsbane's attack, and then went into a roll to distance himself from another of Boom Boom's bombs.

"She ain't," Sam replied as he flew by at near-subsonic speeds, Xander ducking underneath just in the nick of time. "Buffy's the best! She's also Miss Frost's right hand. That's why she's team leader and why she gets to boss us around in here. Once she knows your powers and your limits, get ready, because in here, with the right training program and her simulations, you and your powers soon won't _have any_ limits!"

"Damn," Xander muttered to himself, pausing and didn't see Mirage aiming her trademark psi-arrow at his back and Boom Boom off to the side with a bomb easily twice as big as any she'd thrown so far.

He did, however, see Cannonball flying straight at him and Wolfsbane leaping high to attack him from above.

"Damn!" he cursed and reacted on sheer instinct. He ran straight at Cannonball for three steps and then leaped forward, his feet going forward in what could have been a kick, but against all odds, landed directly on Cannonball's force-shield, jumped _off_ it, so that he was inverted and his feet now coming at Wolfsbane's back, which he then kicked off against, knocking the mutant werewolf to the ground and providing him with the stability to finish his jump and land out of the blast zone. The blast zone of Mirage's arrow, Boom Boom's bomb, and Cannonball all hitting at the same instant.

The explosion was actually pretty impressive, and thankfully with Cannonball's shield, given that he was flying at the time he was largely uninjured, and Wolfsbane had been knocked clear by Xander's kick before the explosion even happened.

Nevertheless, once the smoke had cleared, one thing had changed forever. Xander no longer questioned that he was a mutant, and that he had powers. Although, once it had been explained to him what his power was, boiled down to the layman's basic of "being lucky", it gave him a slightly swelled head and he was nearly attacked multiple times for making the joke one too many times of "getting lucky" whenever the more attractive females were around. Thankfully though, he always curbed such jokes around Emma.

One other change though, one far less obvious, was Xander's personal attitude. He wasn't a werewolf or able to fly or shoot out some weird energy thing, but he was a mutant. He was special. And above all else, he was wanted and respected by his newly found teammates.

So to make up for not being 'showy', he worked three times as hard as he was already working. He studied, actually studied, and started using his mind for more than jokes and worrying about his friends. After the first training session in the Danger Room, Xander's favorite subjects quickly became physics, mathematics, (what had once been his worst subjects) and Danger Room Simulations.

It was in the Danger Room itself, however, that Xander really began to shine. He followed Buffy's simulations religiously, surpassing her expectations of him quickly enough that she began to directly train him herself, teaching him as many martial arts as she herself knew. And being the Slayer, with Emma Frost's resources and her own pure-analytical powers, that was every single modern and well-known martial art known to man, as well as several dozen individual styles not publicly practiced. She also began to teach him weapons, from blades, staffs, and clubs to bows, guns, and explosives of all types along with various fighting styles to go with each.

He didn't pick it up instantly, though he was slightly more enthusiastic in learning guns and explosives, he practiced and tried his hardest at everything she taught him. And even after he did manage to master a technique or fighting form, he never beat her. His strength remained the same, as did his speed and reaction time. And against an analyzing fighting machine like Buffy, his 'Luck' powers could only do so much.

He did however manage to control them a bit, instead of just having them be entirely subconscious as a sort of 'instinct', he could sort of _will_ something "lucky" to happen, or more often for something "unlucky" to happen to someone else.

Willow, likewise, made phenomenal progress. After learning how to change each and every known element into each and every other known element, Buffy had her move on to changing the states of the elements, from solid to liquid to gas, and back again, and also learn how to sublimate the elements as well, which was changing solids to gases and vice versa. Then she learned to do the same all over again, with alloys and various compounds. And that was just the first day.

On the third day, Buffy had her doing the same thing, but while the elements and compounds were in motion. Usually flying right at her or right in front of her or behind her, or just basically being launched through the air around her. Controlling gases were much more difficult, but Buffy worked her until she could do it, and even learned how to create "shields" of various elements directly around her body and around others, as well as how to turn bullets into liquid and/or gas even as they were shot at her. Not at first, but eventually.

It was during that third day that Emma's new guests, having ensured that the Council was nowhere to be found aside from Travers and his offsider, arrived at the school.

The effect was fairly…explosive.


End file.
